Larvicidal properties of decomposed leaf litter in the subalpine mosquito breeding sites

Abstract

The larvicidal properties of the dietary leaf litter originating from the vegetation surrounding the subalpine mosquito breeding sites were investigated by using 10-month decomposed alder leaf litter against different field collections of culicine taxa of various ecological origin (Aedes cantans, Aedes caspius, Aedes cataphylla, Aedes detritus, Aedes punctor, Aedes pullatus, Aedes rusticus, Anopheles claviger, Culex hortensis, Culex pipiens, Culiseta morsitans). Larvae originating from sites with polyphenol-poor vegetation appeared more sensitive to ingested leaf litter than those originating from sites with polyphenol-rich vegetation. Within a given taxon (e.g., A. rusticus, A. cataphylla, C. hortensis), the overall levels of cytochrome P450 monooxygenase and esterase activities appeared higher in larvae able to feed on leaf litter than in pupae and adults unable to feed on leaf litter. This suggests the involvement of these enzymes in the detoxification mechanisms responsible for larval tolerance to polyphenols of the dietary leaf litter. Such a tolerance of the larval stage thus appears as fundamental in the ecotoxicological adaptation of mosquito taxa to the polyphenolic profiles of the riparian vegetation.